Note: This was sent to me from Brock (Elfsar’s trusty Elfbyte collaborator)

Given the recent release of Uncanny X-Men #500, and reading this article on the CBR website http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17588 made me think about what Marvel titles would be at what issue number.  I’ve listed them in order of lowest (ie, the title that is closer to issue #500) to highest.  Interesting if nothing else (although it also indicates I’ve perhaps got a bit too much time on my hands right now). 

UNCANNY X-MEN 

• Uncanny X-Men #1 - #500 (as of August 2008)

THOR 

• Journey into Mystery #83 - #125 = 42 issues
• Thor (vol. 1 - 1966) #126 - #502 = 378 issues
• Thor (vol. 2 - 1998) #1 - #85 = 85 issues

Total previous series = 505 issues

• Thor (vol. 3 - 2007 - current series) #1 - #10 (as of August 2008) OR #506 - #515

Total = 515 issues

CAPTAIN AMERICA

• Tales of Suspense #59 - #99 = 41 issues
• Captain America (vol. 1 - 1968) #100 - #454 = 355 issues
• Captain America (vol. 2 - 1996) #1 - #13 = 13 issues
• Captain America (vol. 3 - 1998) #1 - #50 = 50 issues
• Captain America (vol. 4 - 2002) #1 - #32 = 32 issues

Total previous series = 491 issues

• Captain America (vol. 5 - 2004 - current series) #1 - #40 (as of August 2008) OR #491 - #531

Total = 531 issues

IRON MAN 

• Tales of Suspense #39 - #99 = 61 issues
• Iron Man (vol. 1 - 1968) #1 - #332 = 332 issues
• Iron Man (vol. 2 - 1996) #1 - #13 = 13 issues
• Iron Man (vol. 3 - 1998) #1 - #89 = 89 issues
• Iron Man: Director of Shield (vol. 4 - ) #1 - #32 = 32 issues [title becomes War Machine as of #33]

Total previous series = 527 issues

• Invincible Iron Man (2008 - current series) #1 - #4 (as of August 2008) OR #528 - #531

Total = 531 issues

HULK

• Incredible Hulk (vol. 1 - 1962) #1 - #6 = 6 issues
• Tales to Astonish #60 - #101 = 42 issues
• Incredible Hulk (vol. 2 - 1968) #102 - #474 = 373 issues
• Incredible Hulk (vol. 3 - 1999) #1 - #112 = 112 issues

Total previous series = 533 issues

• Hulk (2008 - current series) #1 - #5 (as of August 2008) OR #534 - #538

Total = 538 issues

FANTASTIC FOUR  

• Fantastic Four (vol. 1 - 1961) #1 - #416 = 416 issues
• Fantastic Four (vol. 2 - 1996) #1 - #13 = 13 issues

Total previous series = 429 issues

• Fantastic Four (vol. 3 - 1998 - current series) #1 - #70 OR #430 - #499 / #500 - #558 (as of August 2008)

Total = 558 issues

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 

• Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1 - 1962) #1 - #441

Total previous series = 441 issues

• Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2 - 1998 - current series) #1 - #58 OR #442 - #499 / #500 - #566 (as of August 2008)

Total = 566 issues  

Well, I had a blast at the SDCC (it was a lot bigger than I remember) and I have a lot of pictures to download but I need to find my connection cord to do so… sigh*  I’ll try to find time to do this soon.

In the meantime, I just found out that I was quoted in the Toronto Star the other day regarding the subject of what fascinates us about Batman.   You can read the article here:  http://www.thestar.com/article/472248 Toronto Star writer Petti Fong came into the store the other day curious about what books she should read about Batman.  I pointed her to a handful of books:  Batman Year One, Batman The Long Halloween, The Killing Joke, Batman The Dark knight Returns…etc and she asked me a few questions why Batman was so popular.

Also I would like to Thank Blogger Ariane Khachatourians for her review of our store.  I don’t know Ariane very well but she gave us some very gracious prase and I thank her for all her kind words and her championing stores that try to spread the love.  You can read her full blog post here: http://spendlocally.ca/vancouver/elfsar  Kudos!

 
Hey all,
It's your Monthly Newsletter from Elfsar.
I'm about to leave for the San Diego Comic Con
(a pleasure I have not been able to enjoy for quite some time)
and it will be the first time I will be there as a Comic Retailer.
Are there any exclusives people are looking for?
Let me know.  Check out what is new this week at:
www.elfsar.com.       

Okay, on with the news…

********************************************************
BECAUSE OF THE SAN DIEGO COMIC CON WE NEED YOUR IN ASAP IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO. ORDERS ARE DUE THIS WEDNESDAY the 23rd!
First up is our handy dandy Elfbytes. This is a quick reminder that our staff highlights is up so if you forgot to look through this month’s Previews Catalogue you can rely on Elfbytes to give you the skinny. You can find this months review here: www.elfsar.com/Elfbytes%20Articles/July_2008.htm
Note: All Comic Saver File Customers should really find the time to read this as we sometimes offer product not yet listed in Previews.
********************************************************

DID YOU KNOW THAT ELFSAR COMIC & TOYS IS NOW ON FACEBOOK?
Yes it’s true. We have a group on Facebook and yes you are welcome to join us. Let us know what you thought of new movies like Dark Knight or a comic, video game or even something random on the web you really liked. Don’t be shy the more people contribute the more fun it will be.
Check us out at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5515647817

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW NORTH AMERICAN HEROCLIX CHAMPIONS!
Our Elfsar Heroclix Judges pulled off an amazing win at this years Wizard World Chicago between June 26th and July 29th. Our primary Judge Rob “The Canadian” Barazzoule is now the official #1 best player on the Continent. Our secondary Judge made us proud with her personal best by becoming the #1 female player in North America. She scored a third place victory win at WWC.
I’d say we have a very good shot of being #1 in the World. Mucho props guys.
http://www.elfsar.com/Gaming/Heroclix.htm
********************************************************

BEST OF VANCOUVER NEEDS YOUR VOTE!
It’s that time of year again folks. The Georgia Straight is going to reward those picked in each category with the bragging rights of being the best in Vancouver for the year of 2008. Our category of course is named “Best Comic-Book Shop” in the living section of the survey. All you have to do is take five minutes to vote for 25 things to make your vote count and you may even win a trip for 2 to Vegas valued at $3,000.00 for the effort.
Package includes: roundtrip airfare, roundtrip airport transfers,
3 nights accommodation at the Wynn Las Vegas and
2 tickets to see Le Reve by Cirque Du Soleil.

Grand prize winner will be announced in the September 19th Best of Vancouver issue.
Enter now and spread the word.

http://www.straight.com/bov

Why should you vote for Elfsar? Well you already know that we try to put on the best Free Comic Book Day every year, we are the only comic book store that puts on a 24 hour comic book challenge, We do our monthly reviews, operate and maintain an online shopping system, run charity events to help strengthen our community… but most importantly we strive to give you the best service we can and go that extra mile each and every week. Help spread the word that we exist by locking in your vote.

********************************************************
JUST ARRIVED 2008 -SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COMICS & BOOKS!!!
1) THE BROTHERHOOD by local artist Tyler Dorchester. http://www.brotherhoodworld.com
For the first time ever, all of their early adventures in one handsomely bound volume!

2) From Elfsar’s own Sean Villeneuve “OTHER SIDE of the LOOKING GLASS” A new novel. Ever wonder what made Ted Bundy or Jeffery Dahmer commit their crimes against humanity? Welcome to the world according to James. Who is he? Is he your neighbour? Your Friend? Your Brother? He could be anyone, even the guy standing right next to you. Do you have the stomach for it? http://books.google.com/books?id=sNumPmoAZO4C&dq=novel+by+sean+villeneuve&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
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FRIDAY AUGUST 08 - BIG SALE! BIG BIG SALE! IT”S THE 08/08/08 SUMMER SALE!!!
It’s that time of year again folks. Normally we tie a big summer sale to the Yaletown Car Show each year. But due to the RAV line the city won’t let the street be closed off for the full day. Instead along with our neighbors are throwing a party! A Yaletown street party! Come for food, drink and big sale at Elfsar. Details of the sale will be made available soon on our blog and Facebook. (hint hint you may want to join our group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5515647817

We are talking like 50% off on back issues folks plus extra deals and incentives that everyone looks forward too when we say Sale… we mean it. More news to come soon.

********************************************************

Well, I’m off to the San Diego Comic Con,
-The Big Elf

Only great minds can read this
This is weird, but interesting!
fi yuo cna raed tihs, lkie me yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid 
too.

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 
 
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty 
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal
pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a
rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t
mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are,
the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and
lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can
be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the
huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, 
but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I
awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

This is also a technique that speed readers use.  What does this have to do with comics?  Not much really.  But I am willing to bet that a majority of people who read comics can read the above paragraph without any problems.  Not to say that we are used to bad spelling.  More rather we have had a larger exposure to the visual medium combining words and pictures including words that are used for sound effects. 

We at Elfsar Comics & Toys are big believers in being proactive and spreading the word that comics are a truly a unique form of entertainment and that our medium that we love so much is constantly reinventing itself.  Although, the evolution of the comic book art form is changing almost every year, certain elements of what makes up a good story essentially remains the same.  These elements share a common ground with novels, movies and even video games.  We are working everyday to spread our infectious love for comics and we believe nothing seems to spread it more than Free Comic Book Day (FCBD).

It is now one month after FCBD 2008 and I have had time to reflect on the day itself.  FCBD has been the most successful event that Elfsar hosts and 2008 proved to be no different as we greatly exceeded our expectations. On May 3rd, Elfsar Comics & Toys gave away over 8,000 comics to a count of over 800 people within only 8 hours.  But we did not stop there.  We made a large impact on our community by raising food and money for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. (The result was an overflowing amount of over 3 times of what we generated the previous year).

To get the word out about FCBD we did everything that we had done in previous years by sending out media kits, mailing flyers, posting interior and exterior posters, using bag stuffers, posting on message boards, providing additional info via our website, Myspace & Facebook, and most importantly had staff tell everyone who came into our location about the event (starting roughly 2 months in advance). 

But just like last year there was a missed opportunity with the “Marvel Marketing Machine” and the traditional superhero movie that has annually been linked to FCBD.  It is disappointing that one of our industries top publishers still made no attempt to link the premiere of Iron Man to FCBD, even if just for the one day before (May 3^rd).  Unlike the premiere of Spider-Man 3, this time we were better prepared and took on the responsibility ourselves to get the word out about our annual international geek holiday.

We felt compelled to reach out to our local theatre in downtown Vancouver where two things stood out to provide a fantastic amount of exposure for our store and FCBD/fundraiser. First, Elfsar participated with the pre-screening event that was held on Wednesday, April 30^th where we set up multiple signs and a table promoting the FCBD event. (These signs and table were up until the end of day May 3^rd) We donated prizes to be given away and had a crew there on the night of the prescreening telling the public about what FCBD was and what we were doing for the fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Foodbank.  We provided flyers telling the public the same information and organized the theater hand them out after each screening of “Iron Man” up until late afternoon on May 3^rd. 

Second, we also created a coupon that was given out on FCBD from our store location that was for a free draw to win a $250.00 Shopping Spree at Elfsar Comics & Toys.  All the public had to do was drop off the coupon at the Scotiabank theatre, thus providing an effective bounceback promotion that the theatre was very pleased with.  Although we were disappointed in Marvel for the lack of any mention of FCBD, It did not hurt that “Iron Man” was truly a fantastic film and that Marvel had released two new well written Iron Man comics (Invincible Iron Man & Iron Man Viva Las Vegas) that the newly inspired public could jump onto.

The FCBD day itself was not only a celebration of comics or to shine the spotlight on what we do; it was also an opportunity to throw a mini in-store-convention for the public.  This year, we had artist Steven Sadowski (Avengers/Invaders, Project Superpowers) doing free sketches and giving fans a sneak peek at some of his future work. We also had donations from Team Epic (a Toronto based free webisodes site) and the Vancouver based Zeroes 2 Heroes also known as the Peoples Publisher.  What convention would be complete without costumes?  We had several costumed Superheroes & Villains who were on hand all day,  we had a store-wide Buy 2 get 1 free sale, Heroclix gaming demos & tournaments, raffles, charity food drive…etc. All of this, made it more than about just giving a free comic away.  FCBD at Elfsar was an experience.  I personally can not fathom or understand how a few other stores seem to participate year after year simply out of a sense of obligation and not embrace the fact that this is the best time to shine. 

Anyone who came to visit Elfsar on May 3^rd got to select from five different comics and for those who also donated to the Vancouver Food bank were allowed to select an extra 5 plus have access to our selected private backstock which consisted of selected books that we felt truly represented good comics.

The number of new faces and the amount of children that came out to this year’s event made it all worthwhile. It is a month later and we are still seeing the benefits from FCBD as we continue to see the number of returning faces grow.  I still don’t understand how anyone would purposely choose to skip this event.  Whether you are a creator, publisher, retailer, collector, reader or fan, we feel everyone should love comics and as an event it is an especially momentous experience.  Speaking as a retailer, just the amount of return visits and the number of people who have recently joined our monthly file saver program alone has been staggering. Equally surprising was the amount of web traffic this event has generated for us.  In the future, I would like to see more product tie-ins jump on board FCBD. It would be nice to see more toys, novelties, games, posters…etc.

My only complaint was with the 2008 FCBD promotional bags.  Don’t get me wrong, the bags themselves are great and the advertising of FCBD on them is highly effective. But this year’s bags only promoted the event on only one side.  (The 2007 FCBD bags had promoted on both sides) Instead, this year’s bags had advertising for the New York Comic Con & New York Anime Festival. Being on the west coast; this was something that I feel we did not benefit from, yet paid for.  Promoting the San Diego Comic Con I guess I could understand, however I still feel a little cheated.  As a retailer, I paid for the bags in full with the intention of promoting FCBD and not the NYCC. If the price was being slightly covered by the New York City Comic Con than I could understand, however the FCBD bags were never solicited as such and the price was not less than the ones offered for the 2007 event.  So I feel that I only got a little more than half the value of what I paid for.  Mind you, a bag is still a bag and my disappointment is not with the function of them.

Regardless, FCBD 2008 was the biggest success for us to date and we look forward to FCBD 2009!

If you would like to see more pictures from our 2008 FCBD event CLICK HERE. Or Join our Facebook Group HERE. To See our short FCBD video CLICK HERE.

-Ethan Peacock

ELFSAR COLLECTION LTD.

I opened the store on Friday morning to find that there was a thick musty smell in the air.  Upon looking at the floor I saw a rather large brownish puddle near the mini Coke fridge and I first thought the fridge was either leaking or the pop had strangely exploded.  It didn’t take me long to realize that there was far too much water for that.

Apparently, someone had broken a pipe on the 2nd floor (either moving or bumping into their air conditioning unit) and it had been left running all night.   It came down thru Shoppers Drug Mart (located above us) who suffered an unknown loss of vitamins due to the moisture and then traveled past the large wood beams and  finally pooled to the floor of Elfsar.  Now it dose not take genius to figure out that water and comic books do not agree we each other.  We were fortunate that a majority of the products lost were not that of our saver file customers, however a lot of our product near the wood beams were hit hard.  Anything that was made of cardboard or paper was in some cases mushy to the touch and not restorable.

The store was closed on Friday until around 2:00pm so that we could get the water off the floor and customers could walk through without the danger of anyone slipping.  We reacted fast to minimize as much of the damage as possible.  The total loss is still being tallied but we roughly calculate that the water damaged around 10K (cost) worth of goods. 

Not to worry, we have insurance.

So if you come in to the store during the next week and see the big noisy dehumidifier machines, this was the reason why. Yes, combined with what happened to me on Tuesday, I have had better weeks.

Well today was like any other day here at Elfsar.  I was greeted by customers and helped a few people find that perfect gift for that special loved one or final issue that completes their collection.  Except for around 3:30 pm whereby a rather suspicious individual came into the store.  He came to the counter and asked if we buy Baseball cards to which I replied, “Sorry, no.  We don’t carry sports cards.”

Now Tuesdays are generally slow and I am usually able to handle the traffic we get while prepping for the Wednesday’s new shipment delivery.

The next thing I know, this dirty and desperate individual has an uncapped syringe pointed at me and shouts, “Give me all your ****ing comics or I am going to stick you!”  Now really, he said money and more particularly he meant the limited amount of money in the till on a Tuesday, mid-day.  My first reaction was this guy must be joking as I was twice his size.  It only took a moment of looking in his ice cold pale blue eyes to know this turkey was playing for keeps.

Now, first and foremost I must state that if this happened to any of my staff the proper procedure is to comply and not put themselves or others in danger.  However, I am maybe not as smart as my employee’s and being the owner of the store, (basically money stolen from Elfsar is in other words stealing money from my livelihood) I made the instinctive decision not to bend to his demands.

The advantage I have by spending the most time at Elfsar, is knowing the exact layout and whereabouts of everything within (Including my weapons of defense).  It was all too easy for me to take a simple Jedi-like step back out of range of a syringe knowing that if he attempted to move forward he would be blocked by our mountain of merchandise crowding our front till display.  There was even a moment where he made a tiny motion forward and I could tell that he quickly realized there was nowhere to go as he as blocked by our mountain of World of Warcraft Starter sets.  The only logical option was to either go up and over or around the front counter, but there was not enough room to get over quickly as he would have to navigate through our Wizard and Toyfare Magazines.  This allowed me with more than enough time to choose which weapon to defend myself with.  My choices were to shoot him with the Elfsar pepper spray, pick up the Elfsar baseball bat or my last resort which was to attempt to sell him a Liefeld comic.  Logically, I choose the weapon with trustworthy distance.  The Elfsar baseball bat.

Now, you have no idea how much I want to say that I said something snappy, cool or right out of the comics.  “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!” would have been so soooooo perfect.  But to be honest what came out of my mouth was more along the lines of “**** YOU *******!  NOW GOING TO KICK YOUR MOTHER****ING ASS!  Now I am sure you can picture this hilarious stand off which seems to be taken right out of a Tarantino movie… a Desperate Man with a Hypodermic Needle verses an Angry Man with a Hard Aluminum Bat. 

Bets on how this went down? Anyone?

Well, it was actually ruled a no contest, as this poor chap new he was outgunned.  In fact he instantly turned a shade whiter than his already pasty complexion as it became crystal clear that I was not joking either.  I moved around a side that I am not sure he even realized existed.  The last thing I wanted was to give him the chance to pull out any other type of weapon.  He turned, and ran for the door as I came around the corner with ill intent.  He moved like the flash as he jumped off the loading dock outside our storefront and into a White Malibu to speed off.  Allowing me enough time to record his license plate number and watch which direction he went. 

I immediately called the Vancouver Police and gave a full detailed description.  I was very impressed at how fast the Police arrived. (around two minutes) I guess it helps to have so many coffee bars in Yaletown.  I filled out the statement and made the police report while we waited for them to dust for prints at the till and did my best to continue to serve customers on our other till.  

I honestly think my heart returned to a normal speed after we closed at 6:00pm.  I am very pleased that the robber had enough smarts to run.  To be honest, the last thing I want to do is hit someone with a bat.  But if I am cornered, I am not afraid to protect myself.  The sick part is that if I actually did hit him, I could have been charged with assault.  (Yes, even though he was robbing me) The robber would have the right to file a lawsuit.  How messed up is that?  It’s sad that the situation came to this.  He obviously was desperate for money to get his next fix and it is sad that crime seemed like the only alternative.

 Later that night I participated in a police line-up (Not the kind you see in the movies but rather seeing a series of mug shots) and correctly identifying the robber to the best of my ability.  Hopefully he will get the help he needs to ween himself off the drugs.

Elfsar has been open for over 5 years and this is the first attempted crime of this nature.  Sure there is an occasional shoplifter we have had to bust and the occasional fake counterfeiter.  All in all, I have always referred to it as “it’s the cost of doing business”. 

To be honest, I was debating if I should actually blog about what happened today or not as most store owners want to keep these kind of things quiet.  In the end, I felt it was important to share what happened.  This was the extent of my day.  I want to ensure everyone that aside from this unusual incident, Yaletown is still a very safe neighborhood and Elfsar is still a safe heaven for getting in touch with your inner geek.  So not to worry, your comics are still safe at Elfsar.
 

 Are you looking for gift ideas? Want to give back to your community but don’t know how or where to look? I found an interesting site that dedicates itself to helping those who want to start/help/donate to local charities in our community. This site: www.givemeaning.com hosts fundraising pages on behalf of charities, non-profits and grassroots projects.

From grass-roots international development projects to online fundraising pages for walks, swims and rides, they give you the tools so that you can create your own fundraising page at GiveMeaning.com to fundraise for most any benevolent purpose.

This is something I may want to consider doing for Free Comic Book Day  this year. In the past we have done food drives and raffles to help better our community. But we are always buying the free comics out of our own pocket. Yes, …we buy the Free comics. It is a common misconception that the public has. The comics of course are at a reduced price from the publisher ranging from $0.12 to $1.00 a book (depending on the publisher) but when you add the cost for the shipping of the books which (due to the amountof books that we give away) its not cheap, and can add up quickly.

Now don’t get me wrong, we love FCBD and have been a proud supporter since it’s inception.  But we want to do more.  We apply the cost of the event to our very modest advertising budget and the average cost is only about $2,300.00 for the books.  I’ll talk more about it later. 

Anyway, back on topic.  All the GiveMeaning projects have tangible, measurable charitable goals, and only registered charities may be chosen to carry out those goals. The reason why I like it is that when you donate at GiveMeaning.com, you have the comfort of knowing:

• 100% of all money donated goes directly to charity
• you will receive a tax receipt, as permissible by law (in the U.S. and Canada)
• you can measure your ‘Return on Generosity’ by viewing progress updates and more on each Project’s webpage. Things like blogs & podcasts really help you keep informed.
• your personal information will never be shared. I like this one a lot.

And, should a Project target not be met, they give you the option of re-allocating your donation to another Project. So basically when you donate to a GiveMeaning Project, you always know what happens to your money.

So if you are looking to donate to a charity during the holidays, you might want to check this site out.

The Gift of Giving
 

This year, Elfsar donated a cumulative of over $600.00 to the Vancouver Covenant House and World Wildlife Fund.

R
A
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G
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A
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A
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With all the rain we have been enduring here in Vancouver, Sar asked me to look for some new umbrellas.  Little did she know that my geekery tends to follow me wherever I go.  If I were to buy a new umbrella, what umbrella would I buy?

Low and behold.

The Darth Vader Lightsaber Umbrella

What will they think of next? Maybe a Lightsaber-themed sex toy? Eh, its most likely already been done. Not only can a Lightsaber protect you from the Alliance and change your TV station, but it can also apparently protect your hair from liquid droplets of destruction, or as you might like to call it…rain. This Japanese-made limited-edition Darth Vader Lightsaber umbrella comes with impressive telescopic action power and a red nylon sleeve.

It’s not often that we find a product that combines collectibility and utility like this Star Wars Darth Vader Lightsaber Umbrella ($100). The grip is molded after Vader’s very own lightsaber, and the umbrella is 40-inches when open, and features automatic telescoping. Of course, it’s not always going to be open, and when it’s closed the red nylon sleeve fits over the end, making it look even more like a lightsaber.

Serves her right for giving me the credit card.  LOL!

After being nominated as one of the best Comic Book Stores in Vancouver we felt it is our duty to enforce a fair price on comics as the current price seems a bit unfair to the Canadian consumer.  At the same time it’s important to me that I am able to support staff and of course keep the doors open.  We crunched the numbers together and the lack of a fair price between the US and Canadian dollar which seems to be trapped in the 80’s (have you looked at a Marvel graphic novel lately) is blatant robbery. 

Okay, I’ve had enough!

The exchange rate on comics is messed up.  The manufacturers won’t probably make a change (if at all) for another 6 months and yet again it is left up to the retailer to enforce change.  Elfsar, as of this past Wednesday, has changed the prices to the public.  Until further notice, we are selling new comics and Graphic Novels at a 15% discount (unless otherwise marked). 

 Why?   Because we can. 

For those who don’t know, Diamond has it’s own set exchange rate which does not always reflect the global economy.  Each comic company has it’s own discount plateau levels and so there are different discounts given based upon quantities that are ordered.  Both Elfsar & HH order enough that we have pretty much have maximized the available discount available.  Both our companies are striving to not only offer the best selection, but continue to work diligently and offer the best price we can.  Although it really should be the responsibility of the manufacturers (I’m looking at you Marvel), we are both going that extra mile to give you a better price on your books.

For example:  Walking Dead #42 is $2.99USD and $3.25CND.  At a 15% discount we will be selling Walking Dead #42 for $2.76CND.  That’s .23 cents below the US Cover Price! 

Before you ask,  all saver files will continue to get an even better discount than the public (a reward for letting us know what to bring in for them) and as usual, saver files will continue to get FREE protective Bags and Boards (a .22 cent cost).  For Example: Saver files at Elfsar get Walking Dead #42 for .39 cents cheaper than the US Cover Price!  That’s a combined total of .61 cents cheaper per book!  Yeah, the savings add up fast. 

Yet, another reason to buy your books at Elfsar Comics & Toys.   (like you needed one ;P)

To become a Saver file, it’s easy.  All you need to do is order 5 comics per month or 2 graphic novels per month.  No Membership Fees.  Better service.  Better Prices.  You can find more info here: http://www.elfsar.com/SaverFileMemebership.htm